


Catch the Wind; Rise Out of Sight

by elwon



Category: Batman - All Media Types, DCU (Comics)
Genre: Kissing, M/M, References to Animal Abuse, Worldbuilding, dragon rider au, dragons!, some politics and economics
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-06-20
Updated: 2019-06-20
Packaged: 2020-05-15 11:59:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 14,000
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19295302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/elwon/pseuds/elwon
Summary: Jason, a Dragon Rider and Sir Dick, Knight of the Order of the Barbastell are paired together when the Dragons offer the Bats an alliance. But things are never as simple as they seem, as the two have a history that may get in the way of them working together. And the Dark forces gathering outside their borders mean the alliance will be more necessary than ever before...





	Catch the Wind; Rise Out of Sight

**Author's Note:**

> Gorbash, all Dragon Biology and Fire/Flight mechanics from the 1982 film 'The Flight of Dragons', based on the book of the same name and 'The Dragon and the George" by Peter Dickinson.  
> Title taken from the theme song to the film by Don Maclean - www.youtube.com/watch?v=G9f2EXuRHMQ
> 
> Forgeham is my own creation, though! :)

The castle of the Order of the Knights of Barbastell is all a flurry with the impending arrival of the emissaries from the dragons, due later today. Dick tries to ignore the chaos as he makes his way to the training grounds. He’d promised both Damian and Tim that he’d spar with them today. As Sir Bruce’s heir, he’s got many responsibilities to oversee to every day, including the training of the knights, squires and pages alike. But for the two blissful hours he’s freed up today, he’ll be spending time with his brothers. 

When he finally makes it to the training grounds, he’s surprised to see just how many Barbastell knights are here today. His eyes search through the throng, automatically looking for Jason, idly wondering which weapon he could be working on today, his twin axes, throwing knives or sword? Because of course Jason had to try more than the standard two for the Barbastells. But Jason hasn’t been here in the training courts in six years.

_“If you’re trying to impress me, then taking up yet another weapon isn’t working.” Dick says as Jason whirls an axe around his head._

_“I’m not.” Jason says, setting down the heavy looking axe. How the scrawny kid thinks he’s going to manage two of them at the same time is beyond Dick. But that’s his squire all over. Jason takes on so much, but somehow manages to succeed with it all, if barely, no matter how many times Dick tells him to do less and focus on one thing better._

_“Sure, little wing. Whatever you say.” Dick shakes his head._

_“I’m not trying to impress you. I just want to learn. If you’re impressed, well, that’s your business.” Jason smirks. “Sir Bruce was though. He even shook my hand. I didn’t know he did that.”_

_“On occasion. It’s rare though.” Dick admits. “Come on, Jason, it’s getting dark. I’ve got jobs for you to do in our quarters. Time to stop training for the day.”_

_“Yes, Sir Dick.” Jason sighs unhappily. “You know, if it’s polishing your armour, I did it this morning.”_

_“It... Isn’t now.” Dick bites back a smile; he’s continually amazed how Jason manages to do all of the cleaning and chores Dick can think of before Dick can think of them. “You’ve got some reading to do for your lessons, haven’t you?”_

_“Yeah!” Jason beams, because the boy loves reading and learning all he can. “I mean, if that’s alright?” Jason looks up at Dick through his bangs, for once looking his age._

_“Yes. I remember having to slog through those books when I was a squire. If you’ve got any questions...” Dick says as Jason hangs up the dull practice axes on the wall and wipes his face with his shirt._

_“I should ask Sir Alfred, because you’ll be asleep over your papers. I know.” Jason grins, and Dick tries not to flush with embarrassment. This kid always knows what buttons to push._

_“I’m having supper with Lady Barbara, actually.” Dick says, and Jason’s grin slips off his face to be replaced with a scowl._

_“Again? That’s the third time this week.” Jason says, and Dick can see his hackles rise. “People will talk. Are you going to ask for her hand?”_

_“People can mind their own business.” Dick says sharply. Jason just narrows his eyes at him in response. “Don’t forget to eat before you head to bed.”_

_“I can manage myself, thanks.” Jason says, scowl deepening. “You’re the one that needs constant nagging to look after yourself. I should know, I have to do it all the time.”_

_“Watch it, kid. You’re supposed to respect your elders and betters.” Dick glares. He doesn’t like being reminded how all the added responsibilities are piling up, and how badly Dick’s handling them._

_“You might be older, but you’re not better.” Jason says with a hint of a snarl. “You’re supposed to be teaching me; but you’re never around, except when you need my help.”_

_“That’s a lie.” Dick says, struggling to keep his temper under control. “I don’t care if you’re jealous of me spending time with Lady Barbara; you’re far too young for her, and that’s no excuse to talk to me like that. Apologise. Now.”_

_“No. I’m not jealous of_ you!” _Jason says, icy fury sweeping over his face and making his glare even more intense. “I’m pissed. because once again, everyone else is taking priority over you teaching me. If you don’t want me around, why am I even your squire?”_

_“Well, maybe you shouldn’t be.” Dick snaps, losing control of his mouth. “In fact, first thing tomorrow, I’m going to talk to Sir Bruce and get you reassigned.”_

_“Fine!” Jason yells, and Dick can see the glitter of angry tears in Jason’s eyes. “Anyone would be better than you anyway!” He storms off and Dick’s left standing there, regretting what he said. He didn’t mean it, and he’s not going to see Bruce tomorrow. He likes Jason too much for that, even if at times he’s a total brat who pisses Dick off beyond belief._

__

If he’d had any idea that was the last time he’d ever speak to Jason, he’d have gone after him and fixed things. But the next morning, all the available squires had been pulled away for an emergency mission, and Dick had never got the chance. Six long years, and anything could have befallen his missing squire. He forces his thoughts away from the tragedy of lost Jason Todd and towards more pressing matters. 

He spots Tim, newly promoted to squire, and Damian, who’s just become a page, off in a quieter corner, practicing with their respective pike and sword, as well as the ubiquitous throwing knives that nearly all of the order carries. But to get to them, he has to go around Barbara and Jim Gordon, both of who are extremely proficient with swords, currently teaching Cassandra and Stephanie, another two new pages, the throwing knife technique. He nods to Selina, currently cutting a target to shreds with her bladed whip as he passes by. She gives him a lazy smirking wave before turning back to her ruined target. 

When he gets closer to Damian and Tim’s corner, the entrance to the Barbastells’ own smithy becomes visible, and Dick notes with a frown that Alfred is deep in conversation with Lucius Fox and his son Luke, pointing out something on the plans that seems to be either very important or wrong. Given the imminent arrival of their ages old enemies, Alfred, as quartermaster of the order, shouldn’t be talking to the smiths, he should be upstairs readying the diplomatic banquet hall for the meeting. Something is not quite right here, and Dick should know about it already.

Dick rests his hands on the pommels of his twin swords, pausing as he watches Alfred and Lucius come to a happy agreement that Dick can’t hear, being too far away. He’s seriously considering intercepting Alfred as he leaves to find out what that was all about when Damian shouts to catch his attention.

“Grayson, stop lollygagging and get over here. You promised me a spar!” The younger of Dick’s two brothers glares at him, and Dick feels a momentary pang of guilt at not spending as much time with the boy as he wishes he could.

“I really can’t wait to see you lose, Damian.” Tim says with the familiar smirk Dick knows so well. Tim is not the easygoing peacemaking type of middle child, as much as Dick wishes he were.

“Hold your horses, both of you. I’m coming.” Dick says with a smile, even though on the inside he feels like sighing in the exact same way as Bruce and Alfred have been known to do at the boys constant fighting.

After a few barely tolerated hair ruffles from Dick, the three of them fall into the usual rhythms of unarmed combat that they’re used to. At one point they even seem to start teaming up against Dick, needing the back up of each other to fight the older, far more experienced man. It all falls apart the second Tim attempts to order Damian about, and that time, Dick doesn’t hold back the sigh. Luckily for him, neither of the boys notices it. 

Dick takes the opportunity to lean against the wall and stare up at the ramparts of the castle, wondering how the city and the port outside them is dealing with the arrival of the dragons. They’ve been enemies so long; it’s hard to imagine anyone at all, giving them a warm welcome. dragons are known to be rich beyond imagining, their vast hoards of gold, jewels and other treasures kept and protected within a near impenetrable mountain range that’s, as far as Dick knows, only accessible by flying in. 

That the dragons are so rich, and refuse to share even a single coin of their wealth with the poor and needy has long been a bone of contention between the humans and the dragons. And of course, the hoarding of the dragonscale that is highly valued as material for armour and weapons, is another. The dragons have their own monopoly producing armour, weapons, jewellery and all sorts of metallic objects that earns them untold riches. The fact they seem surprised that others find it distasteful is a warning sign of how little empathy they show the other races.

Dick shakes off his wondering thoughts as Damian and Tim call a draw to their own private scuffle; Tim holding his bleeding nose and Damian smiling through a split lip. Dick supposes he should be the stern older brother right now, and tell them off, but he’s tired of being the discipline giver of the family and instead ruffles their hair again, getting an exasperated groan from Damian and a squeak of disapproval from Tim.

“So, are you two ready to lose for real now?” Dick asks with an edged smile as he slides into an easy stance, and the boys look at each other with trepidation.

“Today is the day I beat you, Dick!” Tim says with far more conviction than the sixteen year old should have. He’s only come close to beating Dick in a spar once, and Dick had a cold that week. The only reason he even sparred with Tim that week is because he wasn’t allowed out on patrol with his usual squad, and shouldn’t have been anywhere near the training grounds in the first place.

“Can we at least use weapons?” Damian says with a glint in his eye that usually means trouble.

“No.” Dick grins widely and Damian’s shoulders slump minutely. “But I’ll give a two out of five hits bonus if you two work together...”

***

The dragons arrive more quickly than anyone expected them to. Four giant beasts soar over the city with a speed that is truly terrifying. They land just outside the castle, and from his place on the battlements, Dick can see four riders dismount, sliding down the dragons’ forelegs with ease to drop down to the ground, and begin walking towards the drawbridge over the castle’s moat. They appear to be unarmed from what Dick can see, but he knows better than to believe their thick leather armour has nothing concealed within it.

Dragon Riders are notorious for using not just their dragons, but also crossbows, grenades of pre-prepared dragonfire, and possibly the most dangerous of all, ‘dragon-fangs’. The devastingly sharp throwing knives attached to chains that the Riders use to decimate any attackers foolhardy enough to get close. They don’t even need to be on dragonback to use any of them, which makes them a far more deadly foe than most people take them for.

Shaking himself out of his thoughts, Dick rushes down to the main hall. He’s meant to sit in on the alliance negotiations, even though he’s made it well known he doesn’t think there should be an alliance at all. A squire runs up to him with his surcoat and sash and Dick hurriedly drags them on over his clothes before skidding up to the hall where Bruce is standing, silent and imposing like a statue.

“Really, Dick?” Bruce sighs, eyes flicking to the airswept mess of Dick’s hair. Dick quickly fingercombs it into something like neatness.

“Sorry, Bruce.” Dick says sheepishly, taking a deep breath and attempting to smooth himself down into formality.

“Remember this is an important meeting, whether or not you agree with it.” Bruce turns when they hear footsteps echoing along the corridor. The Dragon Riders have arrived. 

“I won’t speak out of turn, Bruce. Promise.” Dick says, falling into position to Bruce’s right, one step behind him.

“Hrrn.” Bruce grunts, and Dick takes it for the acceptance and trust it is.

The doors to the great hall creak open, already full of Barbastell knights, and right on time, the Dragon Riders round the corner of the corridor, striding up to greet them. 

“Sir Bruce.” One Rider steps forward, not offering his hand to shake. All four still have their helmets on and it lends them an air of inhumanity. There are rumours that the Dragon Riders aren’t human, and at this moment, Dick could easily believe those rumours.

“Hood.” Bruce nods, not offended at the slight. “Come in, we’re all ready for you.”

“Good. We want to get down to business straight away.” Hood says, his voice distorted slightly by the helmet.

Bruce leads the four Riders into the hall, and Dick rushes to take his place at the other side of the table as they all settle in. Bruce takes his place at the head of the table and calls the meeting to order.

“Please state why you’re calling for an Alliance between our two orders.” Bruce says, starting the meeting with no preamble at all.

“As we all know, the demons are getting bolder, stronger and their attacks are growing more frequent.” Hood says, sitting back in his high-backed chair, somehow making it look comfortable, which is a feat Dick is privately amazed by. He knows how damn uncomfortable these chairs are. “We have information that says they’re planning a massive incursion soon. Something too big for either of us to fend off on our own.”

“It’s true the demons are becoming more bothersome.” Sir Dante nods, gaining glares from the people around him.

“We both need this alliance if we want to survive. It’s as simple as that.” Hood states, glancing over at Dante.

“Simple? Simple he says!” Sir Ray scoffs, throwing his hands into the air.

“We’re not talking about bygone being bygones.” Hood says, and Dick thinks he’s probably rolling his eyes. “We’re not forgetting what your people have done to us, and what we’ve done in retaliation. This alliance will hold only until the demons are dealt with.”

“We’ve done only what is necessary.” Sir Kai says grimly.

“Necessary?” Hood hisses, sitting forward to lean towards Sir Kai. “Necessary? You demanded more than we could give, and we did our best to supply you with dragonscale, teeth and claw for your armour and weapons against the demons. But it wasn’t enough.”

“We needed more.” Sir Burr points out, trying to rationalise Hood’s statement.

“It takes time for dragons to shed their scales. They can only produce so much a year.” Hood’s right hand man says, in a quiet voice that somehow still carries the length of the table.

“We couldn’t wait.” Sir Burr says. “Dragonscale is the only thing that stands up against the demons.” 

“We could have retaliated when you started to raid the graveyards, but we didn’t because we understood, no matter how much it pained us. We could have declared war when you started hunting our fully grown dragons. But we didn’t, because we know how fearsome and hardy our dragons are, and to die in combat can be... _glorious_.” Hood spits out the last word, as if it’s something he doesn’t quite agree with.

“War? Over something so trifling?” Sir Malcolm snarls. “And you wonder why we call you unreasonable beasts?”

“We only started to retaliate when hunted our young! And can you blame us? Apparently you can. You destroy whole clutches of dragon eggs! And for what?” Hood growls. “All of us here know that no newly hatched kits can give you enough for armour or weapons. And yet you demonise us for trying to protect our own.”

“You’ve killed too many good men. We can’t forgive that.” Sir Malcolm nearly spits his anger across the table, and Dick’s reminded why he never liked the man. He refuses to see the other side of argument as valid, no matter the situation.

“You’ve committed unforgivable acts. You’re willing to pay others for contraband dragon artifacts. And you still demand more from us.” Hood shakes his head. “And yet, here we are, willing to set that aside to ensure our survival.”

“Perhaps you should lower the price of Forgeham made items then?” Sir Malcolm’s snide voice carries down from the bottom of the table. “If it wasn’t all so prohibitively expensive, then more people would buy from you. That’s what you really want isn’t it?”

“If people barged into your home and demanded your hair and fingernails, would you give it for free?” Hood says, voice deceptively calm. Dick can almost taste the barely leashed violence the man is holding back. “If they stole into your crypts and took it from your dead, would you just let it go? If they stole your children and left their corpses scattered, you too would _burn everything they had_. We’ve restrained ourselves better, because to divert all our attention to you instead of the demons would mean we all die.”

“Hood.” Bruce says calmly, interrupting his rant. 

“We can no longer afford our attention to be divided. Not with the demons growing stronger by the day. We must have this alliance.” Hood turns to look at Bruce, forcing himself to sit back.

“And you’ll have it.” Bruce says firmly. Everyone stares at him in shock. Even Dick didn’t know this decision was made; this isn’t a negotiation he realises. It’s done, this is a proclamation. “King Thomas and I have received the same information as you. The demons are encroaching on our borders. Their numbers and strength has quadrupled in the last decade. This alliance is as entirely necessary for the survival of all.”

“That’s what I said.” Hood says, nodding.

“Your people sent a treaty to the King, did they not? A signed one?” Bruce steeples his fingers in front of him.

“Yes.” Hood sits back.

“Here it is. Signed by the King and myself.” Bruce unrolls a parchment along the table. “And to ratify it, Sir Richard will be accompanying you to Forgeham.”

“Wait, what?” Dick stares at Bruce gaping. Bruce gives him a level look and Dick bites his tongue, remember his promise. “I mean, I will.”

“Then we don’t have time to waste.” Bruce says, stoic and stern as ever. “Sir Richard, Hood, take this treaty back to the dragons. We prepare for war against the demons.”

“Certainly, Sir Bruce.” Hood says, standing and offering him his hand. Bruce stands and clasps their forearms together. “We leave immediately.”

The Riders all stand and make their way out. Dick gapes at Bruce while he distantly hears his fellow knights leave the hall. Bruce gives him an apologetic look. “It wasn’t my idea, Dick. The King insisted it be a high ranking knight. You’re the only one I trust to do this.”

“You should have warned me Bruce.” Dick says, swallowing past his feelings to stay on mission.

“I know. I’m sorry, there wasn’t time. The King only agreed this morning. I came straight from his side to this meeting.” Bruce says, and Dick can see he’s genuinely apologetic at not warning him.

“I’ll do my best, Bruce.” Dick says, taking a deep breath. “I guess I better get after those Riders then?”

“You’ll do us all proud, Dick. I know it.” Bruce says, striding over and giving Dick a quick hug that leaves Dick reeling in its speed. Bruce rushes out of the door before Dick can do more than blink.

Dick walks outside, to where the four huge dragons are waiting for the Riders, glaring at anyone who dares to get within even arrow range of them. Hood and his fellow Riders walk closer without so much as a tense shoulder between them.

“We’ll wait half an hour for you to get your things together, Sir Richard.” Hood says over his shoulder as he gets dangerously close to the dragons. “Then we’ll fly.”

“Wait what? I’m not getting on one of those things!” Dick says, taking a step back in horror.

“It’ll take the better part of a week to get where we’re going by horse.” Hood turns to stare at Dick. “We fly, even with waiting for you; we’ll be there before dark.” Hood shakes his head, jerking his thumb over his shoulder at the red dragon.

“That’s great. I’m not flying.” Dick says hotly, jabbing his finger at Hood. “You’ll just have to tell me the route and I’ll come by myself. On horseback.”

“Hell no! You can’t actually think I’m going to give you a map to our safehold? Think again.” Hood says firmly and turns to where his fellow Riders have already climbed on to their dragons. He slowly lifts both arms up his sides until his arms are above his head. Three of the dragons fly off, leaving only the massive red one behind. It trundles over slowly, and Dick can feel the vibrations from its paws landing on the hard baked earth through his boots. 

Hood walks over and rests a hand on the beast’s snout, right between the nostrils. “For Hearth and Wind.” Hood uses the dragon’s battle cry as a farewell, not seeming to care that all it takes for him to be burnt to a crisp is for the beast to exhale. 

“For Hearth and Wind.” The red dragon echoes, raising its head and flapping its massive wings; causing gusts of air to whip around Dick and Hood. He takes off, heading in the same direction as the others.

“So, horses then?” Dick grins, enjoying his petty victory.

“Horses.” Hood says with an air of misery.

***

Despite his reluctance to ride a horse, it turns out that Hood’s a pretty accomplished rider, Dick discovers as they make their way out of the castle an hour after the dragons flew off. They’re out of the city now, beyond the walls and while Hood’s relaxing, Dick’s getting tenser. It’s an oddly warm day, and Dick’s getting a little thirsty, so he imagines Hood, under his thick leather armour and helmet, must be getting pretty parched by now. 

“Aren’t you hot?” Dick says, breaking the heavy silence that’s been hanging between them. “Or want a drink?”

“What, you want to stop?” Hood says, barely giving Dick a glance. “Not happening. We have a lot of distance to cover.”

“I don’t need to stop to drink. I can manage in the saddle.” Dick shrugs, grinning as Hood’s hand twitches towards his water bag.

“Well, neither do I.” Hood replies; and the two of them lapse into silence once more as Dick realises that his attempt to get them to stop has failed. Their horses plod onward along the road out of the city, and Dick sighs.

A scant few minutes later, Hood makes a loud huffing sound and pulls off his helmet, stowing it away in a saddle bag, and Dick gets his first good look at his face. He’s got a strong jawline, generous lips, a nose that’s slightly crooked as if he’s broken it more than once, heavy eyebrows over blue-green eyes, and thick surprisingly soft looking hair. He reminds Dick of Jason a little. Or a lot, he’s much like how Dick has imagined Jason must look like now he’s older.  
Or rather than a lot., just like. Exactly like. Too much like to be anybody but... 

“Jason?” Dick gasps out, and Hood’s head jerks up to stare at him. “Is it really you?”

“Took you long enough to work it out, Sir Richard.” Jason Todd says with an amused twist to his lips.

***

They’ve been on the road, travelling down the inland route, through miles of rolling meadows and farmland, silently riding their horses for a good two hours before the pressure finally builds to breaking point in Dick and he blurts out, “Why didn’t you come back?”

“Because there wasn’t anything for me to come back to.” Jason says after a long pause, clenching his jaw in a way so familiar to Dick it makes his chest ache.

“That’s not true.” Dick grips the reins of his horse, looking down to his saddle. “I was. I was going to ask you to take me back.”

“Please.” Jason scoffs, disbelief etched all over his face and shoulders.

“No. It’s true. I was out of line. I shouldn’t have dismissed your concerns; or you as my squire. I regretted it the moment you walked out, way before the mission. I was going to fix things between us when you came back.” Dick says firmly. He has to make Jason believe that, if nothing else. “Except you didn’t.”

“Really?” Jason glances over to him, eyebrows raised in surprise.

“Yes.” Dick guides his horse closer to Jason’s, and the two of them fall into pace easily.

“You know that wouldn’t have helped right? We’d have argued over something else and the same thing would have happened again.” Jason says almost hesitantly. Dick honestly surprised that Jason’s willing to discuss this, especially given how chilly he was back in the Barbastells’ headquarters.

“Maybe...” Dick says, thinking back to that last argument where he’d completely lost his temper. “But really, why didn’t you come back?”

“You remember how many doubts I had about how the Barbastells operate?” Jason says, waiting for Dick’s answering nod before carrying on. “They just got worse after that mission. Seeing them throw their weight around poor starving villagers who wanted nothing but them gone... Once the mission was over and I was heading back to Gotham, things changed.”

“How?” Dick watches as Jason gets lost in the memory.

“I heard screaming. I was alone, on foot, but I couldn’t walk past it when I could help.” Jason starts off with a sigh, and Dick says nothing because that’s always who Jason had been. Someone who stood up for others. “Children screaming. Begging their attackers to ‘Stop, please!’ So I rushed over...”

_By the time Jason gets off the road and into the small glen by the cliff the screaming has stopped. There’s blood all around, but no sign of anyone. It took too long for him to get there. He swears, trying to catch a sign of any tracks left. There’s cart marks leading into a leafy lane and he’s about to follow them when something falls from the cliff top._

_It’s a small body, skinned. At first Jason thinks it’s a fox, but it’s too small. It might be a cat, but then Jason sees the wings. Another body falls, and then another, and Jason flattens himself to the cliff face to avoid getting hit. After five bodies have landed, no more fall. Jason stares at the corpses of the dragon kits, feeling a little ill. They had to have been the screaming he’d heard earlier. The small glen is a scene of nothing but death and gore, and Jason finds he’s gripping the hilts of his axes tight enough to hurt his hands._

_A small squeak grabs his attention and a bush rustles._

_Jason slowly moves to the bush and reaches in, pulling out a lone green kit, tears streaming down its face and covered in blood. “Please don’t hurt me!”_

_“I’m not going to...” Jason swallows harshly. Talking to this dragon is against everything the Barbastells stand for, but he can’t help himself. “My name’s Jason, what’s yours?”_

_“Jaysa? I don’t have a name.” The little green kit sniffles. “Please, my brothers and sisters... Are they alright?”_

_“I... No. No kit, they’re dead. I’m sorry.” Jason says as gently as he can. Full grown dragons might be the most dangerous things in the world but this little baby is no bigger than a full grown cat, and no harm to anyone. It can’t even bite properly yet, it’s teeth too soft to do any lasting damage._

_“Oh.” The little dragon kit leans into Jason’s arms, and Jason despite himself, lets it. “...But we only just hatched.”_

_“I’m sorry. Since I’m the first person you talked to, I better name you, huh?” Jason says in an attempt to cheer up the little creature. He looks around the clearing, trying to pick something. “Gor- Gorbash?”_

“Gorbash?” Dick says, staring at Jason’s face. Now older and taller, he’s filled out and distractingly handsome.

“The scene was gory; he was a little bashed up. Gorbash.” Jason shrugs. “Not that you’re one to talk, Sir ‘I put bat before everything’.”

“Rude.” Dick shakes his head, knowing full well it’s true. “Continue with your story?”

“I felt bad for him, he was all alone in the world, and if I left him there? He’d just become victim to some other humans wanting his skin.” Jason rolls his shoulders, sitting up a little more in his saddle as their horses plod ever onwards.

“I feel like if I say anything to that we’ll just argue again.” Dick says mournfully. Their respective stances on how to treat baby dragons had prompted many of their arguments six years ago, with Jason arguing for leniency towards kits, and that the order shouldn’t purchase products made from them. Dick on the other hand, had been fully at ease with the knowledge that while the order itself didn’t kill young, it had no problem buying from people that did. Dick prioritised gaining the expensive and rare dragonscale over any ethical quandaries. 

“If you heard the kits talking, you’d feel the same, _Sir Richard_.” Jason grits out. “Anyway, I decided to take him to the dragons’ stronghold. It took weeks to walk there, Gorbash tucked in my bag or my clothes to keep him safe. We bonded, I suppose.”

“Of course you did.” Dick says, biting back a fond smile. Jason glances at him but ignores him.

“He still calls me Uncle Jay.” Jason grins. “So after a long trip, we made it to Forgeham, we made it home. I agreed to stay for a while, just until he was settled in and happy.”

“But you never left?” Dick says after Jason pauses and doesn’t start speaking again.

“I met Red.” Jason says smiling softly.

_“You’re still here, little human?” Red, the massive leader of the dragons says with an amused huff, startling Jason out of watching Gorbash play with the other kits._

_“I was planning on leaving soon. Going down to the village, and finding work there.” Jason says, trying to stand to his full height. It’s pretty pointless trying to do that when a dragon the size of the cathedral in Gotham is the one next to you, but Jason tries it anyway._

_“And you think you can do that without my permission, little human?” Red says, his head rising up and back, much the same way Sir Bruce would sit back in his chair whenever Jason was called in to be scolded. Sir Bruce would do it to remind you who was in charge and could relax when you couldn’t. Red does it simply because he’s so large that holding himself to the ground is uncomfortable for him._

_“No.” Jason admits. If it had been Sir Bruce back in Gotham asking Jason, he’d have been gritting his jaws, speaking through his tightly clenched lips only to avoid more punishment. But here, with Red, there’s an ease Jason wasn’t expecting. No shame or guilt, just honesty. “But with your permission, I will.”_

_“Hmmm.” Red says, dipping his head down again, his front leg moving up to his face. “Come on then.”_

_“What?” Jason says, staring. Red’s moved into the pose dragons use to help their Riders climb on. Red can’t be suggesting that, can he?_

_“On. Get. I’m taking you for a fly.” Red orders, nostrils flaring and letting a warning puff of smoke go Jason’s way._

_“Uh... Fucking hell, alright then.” Jason clambers up, finding his way to the spot between Red’s shoulders where the saddles usually go. “Uh, Red? There’s no saddle...”_

_“You haven’t earnt a saddle yet, little human.” Red laughs, a rumble that Jason can feel through his feet._

_Jason slides down in the groove instead, holding on for dear life as Red inhales slowly, filling his insides with air, his entire body expanding ready for flight. With a few powerful flaps of his wings they begin to hover, taking off slowly. They climb higher and higher, and Jason lets out a whoop of excitement as he feels the wind rush past him. They rise out of the Hearth, skimming the clouds as they fly around. By the time Jason realises that he can hold himself to Red’s body by gripping with his thighs, his hands are no longer gripping on to the ridges along Red’s neck, they’re out catching the wind themselves._

_Suddenly the build of all the Riders Jason’s seen so far makes perfect sense, they need those powerful thighs to stay in the saddle, their shoulders and arms are strong from fighting and dealing with weapons. Those helmets that make them seem so inhuman are there to protect their faces from the winds._

__

__

_Red dips and swoops, and Jason knows the elation of flying will never leave him. Even when Red rolls right over in flight, with Jason gripping back on to the neck ridges, Jason knows he wants to do this again. They land and Jason feels the thud of satisfaction go through him, heart in his throat and skies in his eyes._

_“Well, little human? What do you think?” Red says with a laugh. “Want to be my Rider?”_

_“Fuck yes, I thought you’d never ask!” Jason says, tumbling down from Red to land on the ground. With his knees like jelly, he slumps down to land in the dirt and knows that he’s_ home.

“No wonder you didn’t want to come back.” Dick says when Jason finishes his story.

“It wasn’t personal you know.” Jason shrugs. “But I really didn’t think you gave a damn. And I found somewhere to belong.”

“I guess I’ve no one to blame but myself for you leaving.” Dick says staring out over the farmland. “I’m still not comfortable with the idea of being allied with the dragons. But... I can see why you’d love it.”

“That’s more than I was expecting, to be honest.” Jason says, far more reasonably than Dick would’ve thought he would. Jason guides his horse away from the main road, to a lesser known track that’s barely more than two lines of dirt in grass made by cartwheels, leaving Dick to follow him. 

***

The rest of the journey passes slowly, they camp without tents far enough off the roadside not to be seen, and spend all day in the saddle. Jason doesn’t talk much, to Dick’s disappointment. He tries to engage him in conversation several times a day, but the topics Dick picks don’t yield much interest from Jason, who lapses into silence quicker than Dick likes. Dick tries for the whole journey, trying to glean scraps of who Jason’s become.

On the other hand, the journey allows Dick the time to take in all the changes to Jason since he left the order. The most obvious, apart from how tall he’s grown from the gangly squire he used to be, is how settled in his own skin Jason is. He still has a temper to rival Dick’s own, but it’s less flash burn and more slow creeping. The height isn’t the only physical change; his hands and feet which were always too large for his body are now in proportion to the rest of him. His entire body has bulk and mass, giving off the impression of barely leashed lethal blunt force, like a wild boar in a forest charging at you.

The landscape has changed from farmland to rolling empty hills to a thick forest, and it’s not until they’re leaving the heavily wooded area that Jason’s stiff body language starts to relax. Once they’re clear of the trees, Dick can see plumes of smoke in the distance.

“Oh, is that...?” Dick says breaking the evening’s silence.

“Forgeham. Yes.” Jason says with a grin. “Home, sweet home. For me, anyway.” Jason nudges his horse into a canter and heads straight for the smoke. With a lot more restrain, Dick does the same. He’s still wary about meeting the dragons, and he wants to get it over with so he can at least worry about the hundreds of other things that are floating around in his mind, like how well Tim and Damian are getting on without his calming influence on them.

As they get closer, Dick can, for the first time, appreciate how large Forgeham actually is. Set at the foot of a mountain range, he’s always heard it referred to as a village, and so pictured it as two or three forges, surrounding by a scattering of houses. In reality, Forgeham is probably as big as the now long empty Old Abandoned Blüdhaven. Even now in the early evening, Dick can count at least ten plumes of smoke rising steadily into the air, and while the buildings are spaced far, far, apart, obviously to give the dragons space to pass by each other in the street, there are at least 100 domestic dwellings as well as commercial places of business, signs visible even from this distance. 

“Wow. It’s much bigger than I expected.” Dick says as they slow down to navigate a deep dip in the road.

“I know. I was shocked the first time I came here.” Jason slows his horse down to a trot. “I had no idea there were so many humans living here.”

“I guess they’re not all Riders, huh?” Dick matches Jason’s pace and blinks as he takes in the sheer height of walls surrounding the ‘village’.

“Riders make up maybe twenty percent of the human population.” Jason says, rising out of his saddle to knock his fingertips against a low hanging branch of a tree that goes right across the dirt track of a road. Dick gets the feeling that’s a bit of a ritual for Jason. “Humans actually outnumber the dragons, three to one, roughly.”

“Wait, really?” Dick stares at the relaxed smile on Jason’s face. It makes something flip pleasantly in his stomach, and Dick doesn’t have time for implications of that right now. Maybe ever.

“Really. There’s a lot of humans needed for the industry side of things, and of course they have families... It all adds up.” Jason rolls his shoulders, glancing over to Dick. His blue-green eyes catch the sunlight and Dick wonders how the hell that cute but angry kid has grown into this handsome, settled _man_ in six short years. (Six, long, long years of Dick grieving him.)

The heavy gates swing open ahead of them, and a green blur runs out. Dick pulls his horse up short, ready to run, but Jason laughs, standing up in his saddle. His horse shifts slightly, not knowing what’s coming, but Jason seems utterly unconcerned.

“Gorbash!” Jason waves with both arms, expertly moving with the horse beneath him.

“Uncle Jaaaaaaay!” The blur yells, slowing only once he’s close to Jason’s horse, jumping up into Jason’s arms.

“Hey, kit. Have you been behaving?” Jason says, holding the large dog sized dragon up easily with apparent ease.

“Of course! You were gone so long. I don’t like it.” Gorbash chatters excitedly. “I don’t like it, I say! Stay home!”

“I’ll do my best.” Jason says fondly, hefting Gorbash down as he sits in his saddle.

“Who’s this?” The little green dragon asks, waving his head in Dick’s direction.

“Sir Dick. He’ll be staying with us for a while.” Jason smiles, and Dick’s heart leaps in his chest. Gods damn it.

“Oh. Oh! I know this!” Gorbash says, excitedly flapping his wings. “I know this!”

“You do?” Jason grins, leaning back away from the air fanned towards him, and Gorbash’s tail wraps around his arm.

“Yes!” Gorbash twists in Jason’s hands to let his long neck and head hang in Dick’s direction. He lifts his foreleg into a hello position. “Well met, Sir Dick! Welcome to Forgeham!”

“Well met... Gorbash.” Dick says awkwardly, raising his own hand in a hello. This is the dragon that took Jason away from the order, and Dick wants to dislike him... But, in all honesty, despite his earlier demand for Jason to stay, the dragon is like a large happy puppy. It’s hard to imagine him wanting to hurt anyone.

“Will you accompany us to our home? I have an excellent hoard!” The little dragon says with a gleam in his eyes. “It’s very comfortable for sleeping on.”

“Sir Dick will be sleeping in a bed, Bash.” Jason tries not to smile to widely. “But I’m sure he’ll love seeing your hoard once we get home.”

“Yes!” Gorbash flaps his wings, and then settles in Jason’s lap with obvious practice.

“Uh, that sounds... Lovely?” Dick throws Jason a ‘please help me, am I doing this right?’ look. “I’m sure it’s a very fine hoard.”

“It’s the best hoard any dragon my age has! I collected it all myself too!” Gorbash’s head wiggles on his long head, and Jason gives a slight cough. “Well, Uncle Jay helped too. But only a little!”

“I’m sure you did a lot of work.” Dick says, feeling faintly like this must be what going mad feels like.

“He started collecting pretty much right out of the shell.” Jason says, brushing a hand down the soft spines along the dragon’s back. “His first piece was my last gold coin.”

“Then I’m sure it’s a mighty hoard, and I look forward to seeing it later.” Dick says, and Gorbash gives a small puff of smoke from his nose in happiness. Dick tries to ignore how happy the pleased look Jason gives him makes him feel. Besides, it’s not like anything can happen between them... Can it?

***

Darkness had fallen by the time they were inside the village, and so the tour of the village that Dick had been promised by Jason was postponed until the next morning. They’d dined quietly, with Gorbash going to the dragon’s lair, called the Hearth, for his own food. Jason had shown Dick to his room, a comfortable space with a large soft bed, a padded chair to sit and read in, and a desk he could use for correspondence. Dick sleeps well, and when he rises the next morning and comes downstairs for breakfast, he finds Jason and Gorbash in the kitchen, frying bacon in a pan heated by the little dragon’s fire. 

“Sir Dick! Hello! ...I mean, Good Morrow!” Gorbash says as soon as he spots him, around mouthfuls of flames. 

“Sleep well?” Jason says moving the pan to the kitchen counter and spearing the bacon out onto three plates with a fork. “You still like bacon, right?”

“I did. I do. I wouldn’t say no to eggs either.” Dick says, watching warily as Gorbash’s tail whips around the floor. Jason seems unbothered, so Dick sits down at the table. Jason cracks a few eggs into the pan that had the bacon in it, and Gorbash gives one more breath of flame, frying them to perfection in seconds.

“We can do the tour after we’ve eaten.” Jason says, coming over with the food and sitting down, leaning down to leave the plate with just bacon on the floor for Gorbash to eat. 

“But I was going to show Sir Dick my hoard!” Gorbash whines, chewing down the last of his bacon while he speaks. “You said I could!”

“So I did.” Jason says, giving Dick an apologetic smile. “You mind?”

“...No. No, of course not.” Dick says between bites of egg. “I’m looking forward to it.”

The rest of the meal is mostly silent and slightly rushed due to Gorbash sitting on the floor staring up at the two of them, clearly willing them to hurry up.

“Finally!” Gorbash cries as Jason dumps the plates into a bowl of water. Jason twists and picks Gorbash up easily, throwing him up into the air like humans do with a small child. Gorbash reacts the same way as the human child would too, with laughter and a giddy “Again, again!” Jason does it a second and third time, and then Gorbash inhales and floats close to the kitchen ceiling, his wings stretched out to steady him.

“You’re stuck aren’t you?” Jason says when Gorbash doesn’t move or say anything for a long minute.

“No!” Gorbash rolls his eyes. “Maybe a little.”

“Turn your head, Bash. Let some of your fire out.” Jason says patiently, and Gorbash turns his head, breathing out plumes of flame.

“I always forget to do that.” The little dragon sounds sheepish as he sinks down to the floor. “Sir Dick, let me show you my hoard!” 

The dragon scuttles out of the kitchen, and Jason gestures to Dick to go first. “Isn’t that dangerous? Him flying inside like that?”

“Nah. The kitchen’s pretty fireproof.” Jason shakes his head. “Besides, his fire’s not that strong.”

“Oh.” Dick blinks, thinking that the fire he saw earlier was more than enough to set the house alight.

“These houses were designed for this, Dick. Don’t worry.” Jason pats Dick’s shoulder and steps past him.

“Sir Dick! Look, look!” Gorbash says as they round the corner of the hall to the large room that holds his hoard. “Isn’t it magnificent? So much gold!”

“That is a _lot_ of gold.” Dick says, eyes widening as he takes in the mounds of coins and various metal cups and bowls. There’s old bent cutlery and a few ornamental daggers scattered around. But it’s really mostly coins of various values. One coin has been mounted and hung on the wall, and Dick guesses it’s the one that Jason gave him that started off his hoard. 

“I know!” Gorbash rolls in the coins, blissfully happy. “And it’s all mine, all mine, I tell you!”

“So, uh...” Dick says to Jason quietly, wondering how to broach the question he has politely.

“Why do dragons even have hoards?” Jason asks with an amused smile.

“Yeah.” Dick fights back the blush that smile threatens to cause, and nods.

“Gold doesn’t catch fire, like wood or hay. I mean, sure it melts eventually, but there’d have to be a raging inferno going to do that. The moving piles of metal get heated up by their bodies, making it nice and warm, and comfortable for them to sleep on.” Jason shrugs. “Of course, it does mean they have to sell things to make the money in the first place... But then again they have a highly valuable commodity growing on their bodies, so it works out.”

“That makes sense, I guess.” Dick runs his hand over the handle of a nearby dagger sticking up in a pile of coins. It looks surprisingly strong and light. The kind of dagger Dick would only be able to afford if he saved up for years for. “It explains the prices for dragonscale, at least.”

“Partly. I don’t think people realise how much work goes into making our armour and weapons.” Jason says with a slight frown. “On that note, Bash, I’m taking Sir Dick on the tour. You coming?”

“Hmmm, no. I think I’ll nap.” Gorbash says with an exaggerated yawn, his wings flapping out once as he stretches his whole body.

“Alright, don’t miss your classes again, though. Red gave me disappointed looks last time, and told me I’m a terrible parent.” Jason shakes his head, giving Gorbash a mock stern look.

“You’re the best parent I’ve ever known! I won’t let you down, Uncle Jay.” Gorbash says with a little distress at the thought.

“Good.” Jason turns to Dick. “Ready to meet everyone else now?”

“Sure.” Dick says, completely unsure about everything except the way his heart is beating faster at Jason’s closeness. 

Dick misses Gorbash’s appraising look as he turns to leave, but if he hadn’t, he’d have seen the sly look on his face as he begins to plot.

***

Dick follows Jason outside, away from their surprisingly large cottage, and into the village proper. The businesses are just opening up and a warm gentle breeze floats through the air from the forges being lit at all the smithies. 

“So, I guess a quick history lesson is in order?” Jason says with an air of resignation.

“I don’t know, is it?” Dick says letting a grin onto his face. Jason sighs and throws him an annoyed look.

“So, when the Barbastells and various other orders started really coming after the dragons and their babies, the dragons realised that the only way to fight fire is with fire. Yes, that’s a pun, shut up Grayson.” Jason says, stopping to wave at an elderly woman riding the back of an adolescent orange dragon. The lady waves back with a gentle smile, and the dragon sends a quick puff of smoke in Jason’s direction. When Jason turns back to Dick, he mimes locking his lips and throwing away the key with a smile. “So, they looked around for humans to help them, offering them positions as Riders in exchange with helping with lots of things, including the battles against other humans. Eventually they’d built up enough of an army that they needed a proper base, and that’s how Forgeham got started.”

“For the Riders and their families?” Dick says as they walk past a fruit seller and the owner throws Jason an apple. Dick doesn’t get thrown anything but a dirty look, unfortunately.

“Yeah.” Jason cuts the apple in half with a knife from his belt, passing Dick the other half idly, clearly not thinking too much about it. “And someone had the bright idea of having some forges to produce weapons and armour from the donated scale stockpiles. I guess they thought if they sold it themselves it might go some way to lessening the attacks. Or show that’s there’s a peaceful, respectful way to make them. Didn’t really work, but it’s given the village a thriving economy.”

“So I can see.” Dick munches on his apple half as they continue walking. They come up next to a forge and through the open door, Dick can see an anvil and hammer, and beyond that a lot of white hot flame. “Wait... Is that a dragon powering that forge?”

“Sure is.” Jason smirks at Dick’s surprise. “What? You need really high temperatures to melt fully grown adult scale, teeth and claws. Of course we use dragonfire. And magic sometimes, if we’re making specific things.”

“That... Seems obvious now it’s been pointed out.” Dick says slowly, thinking of how much trouble the normal forges back in Gotham have with some dragonscale. “I’m guessing the younger scale, teeth and claws are easier to melt?”

“Yeah. It’s part of the reason people go after the kits.” Jason says, a glower coming over his face. “They shed more scale when they’re young. Once they’re adults it slows to about once a year.”

“Demand outstrips supply.” Dick says quietly. “It’s not an excuse, Jason. But it is the reason.”

“That doesn’t make it right.” Jason says firmly, eyes glinting with the icy fury that Dick remembers so well from when he was Dick’s squire.

“No. No, it doesn’t.” Dick says, thinking about little Gorbash and how full of life and joy he is, and how all his siblings are dead. He hopes it’s enough to put Jason back into that calm mood he was in before.

“Anyway, I’ll take you to the Hearth now.” Jason changes the subject, looking awkward but calmer, for a moment. “You should meet Red.”

“I’d like that.” Dick nods. A tiny dragon scuttles up past them, a small child running after it laughing, and Jason throws it his apple core. The dragon gobbles it up quickly and blows Jason a puff of smoke, before deftly avoiding the child chasing it, circling her once and then running off to the little girl’s delight.

The Hearth turns out not to be a pub as Dick expects, although why he thought he’d be meeting a massive dragon at a pub he can’t even begin to guess; but the mountainous enclave the adult dragons live in. Its natural rock walls protect the dragons from three sides, with Forgeham protecting the fourth, and the open roof lets the dragons come and go as they please. As they get further into the large craggy valley, Dick can see caves beyond, and smaller valleys and canyons in the mountain range, all with dragons laying around, some eating, some engaged in conversation, and a fair few rolled over onto their sides or even backs, clearly napping. 

Red, apparently, is in the largest cave, only his head poking out to the wide open area. He opens one eye as Dick and Jason approach, huffing silently. “Took your time getting back, Jason.”

“Yeah, sorry. Horses just aren’t as fast as you.” Jason shrugs, not that sorry. 

“Hmmphh. I should say so.” Red rumbles, shutting his one open eye slowly, and Dick thinks he might be falling asleep until he opens both eyes and stares at him critically. “Well, introduce us then.”

“Red, this is Sir Dick.” Jason says, gesturing to him. “He’s the reason we were so slow.”

“Well met, Sir Knight.” Red says slowly with amusement. “There’s no reason to be embarrassed at being afraid of flying. Little humans like you were meant to stay on the ground after all.”

“I...” Dick starts, fumbling for an excuse as to why he’s not afraid.

“Red. Be nice.” Jason says, smacking Red on the snout. Dick gapes at Jason’s casual treatment of a creature that can end them without much more effort than it takes him to blink. “Dick’s here as part of the alliance. So behave.”

“Behave, he says. Who’s in charge here?” Red snorts fondly. “So, you’re that Sir Dick of Jason’s then?”

“He’s not my Sir Dick!” Jason says scandalised, tips of his ears turning red. “That’s... He’s... I was his _squire_.”

“Same difference, innit?” Red grins, and Dick realises he’s messing with Jason. He gets the feeling it’s probably a common thing between them too.

“Not really?” Dick says, throwing Jason an empathetic smile. “I was supposed to teach him how to be a knight. I wasn’t very good at it.”

“No. You weren’t.” Red says bluntly. “Worked out well for me though.”

“Yeah. Jason seems much happier here than he ever was in Gotham.” Dick decides that a combination of flattery and brutal honesty is the way to charm this beast. “Thanks for looking after him. I’ve always regretted not treating him better.”

“Hmmm.” Red says, looking Dick over appraisingly as Jason smacks his palms into his face. “You might just work out here after all, Sir Knight.”

“I might?” Dick blinks, feeling awed at the easy acceptance. He has an inkling of how Jason must have felt all those years ago, fresh off of Dick’s rejection, to being so quickly welcomed here. 

“Red loves flattery.” Jason grins. “Don’t you, you big old bastard of a beast.”

“I like the truth.” Red gives Jason a dirty look. “And the truth that I’m awesome and better than all of you is undeniable and always satisfying to hear from a stranger.” 

***

In the last week that Dick’s been Forgeham, he’s grown to see how seamlessly the dragons and humans live together. The two species are thoroughly intertwined, and Dick has yet to meet a single human family that doesn’t have at least one dragon living with them, or at the very least attached to them in some way.

It’s especially exemplified in Jason and Gorbash’s relationship. For all that Gorbash calls him ‘uncle’, Jason’s clearly a father to the little green dragon. It’s more obvious whenever Jason tries to give him flying lessons than at any other time. One morning after breakfast, Dick hears a commotion out the back of the house and wanders out to the little yard, only to find Jason lugging a heavy sack of broken chunks of limestone.

“Alright Bash, get some of that down your neck.” Jason says, yanking open the sack. Gorbash waddles forward and takes a delicate bite of rock. It breaks easily under his fangs.

“It tashtes awfu’, Unca Jay.” The dragon kit complains, crunching up the stone in a few bites.

“I’m sure it does, but if you wanna fly properly you gotta eat it, kit.” Jason tells him, noticing Dick for the first time and giving him a nod.

“Blegh.” Gorbash sticks out his tongue, curling his upper lip in distaste.

“And these.” Jason pulls out a small pouch of what looks like treasure, but Dick’s not sure. “Remember, only let these get down as far as your craw.”

“It feels so weird having them in there.” Gorbash sighs, but swallows them down whole anyway.

“Alright, time to inhale!” Jason grins and Gorbash does so, his little body swelling as he does. 

“How does that work?” Dick says, dropping down to sit on the one small patch of unburnt back yard that’s left. 

“Uh... the dissolving limestone mixes in his stomach with the acid and it gives them lift. Somehow.” Jason scratches at the back of his neck. “Red wasn’t the clearest when I asked him, to be honest. Something about honeycomb structured bones, and the gas in their stomach being lighter than air.”

“It’sh how we breaf fire too!” Gorbash chimes in, still hovering with his wings out. He opens his mouth and Dick can clearly see his tongue between his teeth. There’s thish spot in the roofs of our moufs... An’ we t’ckle it wif our tungs... An’ then we cr’ckle, an whoosh!” 

Dick can see something like little bolts of lightning in Gorbash’s mouth, dancing around his tongue, and then Jason dodges the plume of fire that comes out of Gorbash’s mouth “TURN YOUR HEAD, BASH!”

“Ooops. Sorry, Uncle Jay.” Gorbash says as he sinks back down to the ground.

“You know, maybe it’s time you get some proper lessons from the older dragons. I think you need someone who can actually fly with you.” Jason sighs, patting away some ash from his shoulder.

“I guess.” Gorbash scuffs at the ground in front of him shyly. “Will you come with me to ask?”

“Of course we will.” Jason says walking over to pet the little dragon’s head. “Hey, maybe we’ll even convince Dick to come flying with us, what d’ya reckon?”

“Uncle Dick! Come flying with us!” Gorbash cries out, running over to Dick to rear up onto his back legs,

“Uncle Dick?” Jason says quietly bemused.

“Sir! Sir Dick! I mean, that is...” Gorbash stutters. “Oh dash it all. Sir Dick come flying with us, please?”

“Oh come on, you’re gonna refuse this face?” Jason says, picking Gorbash up and walking him over so that his head wobbles on his long neck right in front of Dick’s face. Gorbash has put on a suitably pleading expression, and Dick finds himself laughing despite himself.

“No, no I guess I can’t.” Dick grins, pulling himself up to his feet.

“Yay!” Gorbash flaps his wings in excitement. “Can we go now?”

“Sure, might as well.” Jason says after a brief ‘this alright with you?’ glance at Dick.

Five minutes later they’re strolling into the Hearth, and another two minutes later, Gorbash has been whisked away by some older dragons to get some lessons. Dick and Jason had been given arch looks and told to come back at lunchtime. They don’t end up leaving and coming back, as Red chooses that moment to emerge from his cave.

“Bringing your Sir Knight for a ride, finally?” Red huffs, giving Jason the eye.

“That’s the plan.” Jason says cheerfully and Dick wants to die inside. “I’m going to grab us some leathers and helmets and then we’re going.”

“We don’t have to go today...” Dick tries, only to have the large red dragon outright laugh in his face. The faint scent of limestone wafts out at Dick.

“We’re going.” Jason says as he returns and drapes a leather jerkin over Dick’s shoulders. “Get yourself into that and then put the helmet on.”

“He doesn’t need a helmet.” Red says, and Dick’s too busy watching Jason’s leather encased muscled form climb up the dragon to pay attention. Jason makes it look easy, and Dick’s hit by just how damn stupidly attracted he is to Jason. He likes him, he knew that, but the attraction is overwhelming right now.

“Yes he does.” Jason says, kicking Red’s leg. “He doesn’t need windburn on that pretty face of his.”

“I don’t know, I think he’d look good with a bit of red on his face.” Red smirks and Jason makes a faint choking noise.

“No.” Jason finally manages to spit out. He turns to Dick and offers a hand up to him. Dick’s relieved the helmet he now has on hides how flushed he’s surely become. “Come on up, Dickie.”

“Make sure he’s sitting in front of you.” Red says with a leer in his voice.

“Red...” Jason says lowly, and Dick recognises that as the way Jason used to warn people off with.

“I’m just saying. You’re used to not having a saddle.” Red huffs, unabashed by Jason’s tone. “He might want something more to grab a hold of.”

“Shush you.” Jason slaps Red.

“I don’t mind you being behind me, Jay.” Dick says without thinking, and then pauses at just how much he means that.

“Uh. Right.” Jason says slowly. “Sit here?”

“Like this?” Dick looks up at Jason.

“Yeah. That’s fine.” Jason says, slotting in behind Dick like he belongs there. “This alright? You’re not too squashed?”

“I’m great.” Dick says with a false confidence he doesn’t feel.

“Great. Great...” Jason sighs. “In your own time then, Red.” 

Dick startles as Red inhales slowly, filling his insides with air, his entire body expanding ready for flight. Dick’s stomach drops as with a few powerful flaps of Red’s wings, they begin to take off. Red’s wings swoop up and down hard as they climb higher and higher. Dick finds himself gripping on to Jason’s arms, grateful that he has something solid to ground him as they soar through the sky. Pretty soon they’ve caught the wind, rising out of sight of the ground.

Dick’s breathes hard inside his helmet as he feels Jason flex behind him. Jason laughs as Red dips and swirls around in the air, and even Dick begins to feel the excitement and power of defying gravity so thoroughly. He risks letting go of Jason’s arms and lets his arms stretch out, feeling the whistle of the sky between his spread fingertips. His heartbeat is in his ears, and Dick feels the adrenaline burst through him. No wonder Jason’s addicted to this, what could compete with this rush of power that comes from being allowed to ride a dragon? 

And when Red does a barrel roll, his wings coming in to cover them as he spins in the air, plummeting down before snapping his wings out to glide over the tree tops, Dick realises he’s as hopelessly hooked as Jason is. He wants to do this again and again. He’s supposed to be the dragons’ enemy, and yet, for this feeling he could easily give up everything except his family. That Jason never came home is no longer something he doesn’t understand.

They return to the Hearth, landing smoothly despite the thud that echoes around the valley as they hit the ground. All Dick knows is that he wishes he weren’t a knight of Barbastell, that he could have met a dragon when he was young, before he became a knight. He wonders how different his life might have been. But what ifs are dangerous, and he shakes those thoughts out of his head as he slides down Red’s leg to have his feet on solid ground again.

“So, not as bad as you thought, huh?” Jason says, pulling off his helmet with a grin. Dick realises that the brightness in Jason’s eyes he’s seen since they met again is the yearning to be up in the skies once more, and Dick wonders if Jason will see the same thing in his eyes now.

“I... Didn’t hate it as much as I thought I would.” Dick pulls off his helmet, giving Jason a shaky grin. There’s a flicker of something on Jason’s face, and he leans in close to Dick, sliding his hand up Dick’s arm to his shoulder. It looks like he’s about to say something when Red’s laugh interrupts him.

“Look at him! He loves it as much as us.” Red sweeps at them with his tail, but it passes harmlessly over their heads, obviously planned to do so. “Doesn’t hate it, he says. This little human, says I, can’t admit the truth if he tries.” 

***

Deep in the most protected narrow, shady valley at the back of the Hearth, Nightwing, the most elusive of all the elder dragons, has summoned Dick for an audience. Dick hadn’t wanted to come but Jason had simply over ridden his objections and grabbed him by the wrist, pulling him after him to deliver Dick up to the dark blue dragon.

Dick stares up at Nightwing, taking in the dragon’s two toned jewel blue head with wariness. On Nightwing’s other side, Jason’s sitting on an outcropping of rock, making a huge flower crown. Jason is wholly focused on twisting the many white flowers piled around him into a crown large enough to fit a dragon’s head, which means that it’s several feet wide.

Nightwing regards Dick with an arched eyebrow, as if his attention amuses her somehow. “Did you want something little human?”

“I’m just wondering why you follow Red... I mean, you’re so intelligent, powerful and beautiful, why does someone like you follow an old dragon like that? You could be in charge with ease?” Dick says shamelessly flattering Nightwing.

Nightwing laughs, the dragon’s whole body seemingly growing in size with the noise. “Follow Red? He is our military leader, we trust him.” Even Jason seems amused at Dick’s attempts at manipulation, given the way he shakes his head with a wry smile on his face. “I am the Queen of the Hearth! Red answers to no one but _me_. For Hearth and Wind, he is the sire of my clutches and my eternal mate.”

“Oh... I didn’t know.” Dick winces, insulting your hosts is always a bad idea, but when they’re dragons? Dick thinks he may have just made a fatal mistake.

“Clearly, little one. You’ll have to do much better than that if you plan to outwit us.” Nightwing brings her head down to hold it level with Dick’s much smaller body. “You will not outwit us, but perhaps you might join us...”

Dick’s saved from answering Nightwing’s threat? Offer? By Jason throwing his completed crown onto her head. “Ah, there, you look so pretty now, Nightwing.” Jason says, pushing the flowers on straighter. “A crown for my dragon’s queen, as requested.” 

“Mmm. Red is such an old romantic!” Nightwing giggles, and Dick tries not to goggle too openly at the almost girlish behaviour of such a powerful, dangerous creature. “I must go thank him.”

Jason waits for Nightwing to amble off, her entire massive body taking up all the available space in the narrow shady valley she spends most of her time in. He hops down from the rocky outcropping and Dick points at him, gaping wordlessly.

“Making flower crowns for my dragon’s mate is part of my duties as a Rider.” Jason explains, shrugging, clearly unbothered at being used repeatedly to keep that romance alive. “Although if ‘Wing gets her way, you won’t ever have to make one.”

“What does that mean?” Dick frowns, wondering if now is the time to escape and make his way back to the Barbastells while he still can.

“Red’s not one for flower crowns. He’s more ‘the blood of my enemies painted on my face’ type.” Jason grins wolfishly.

“That explains nothing.” Dick glares at Jason, crossing his arms and tapping his foot waiting for Jason to elaborate.

“She wants you to be her Rider, Dickie.” Jason reaches out to muss up his hair, and with his arms crossed Dick’s too slow to stop him.

“Oh.” Dick nods. “Wait, what? I can’t be a Rider!”

“Who says you can’t?” Jason walks after Nightwing, apparently without a care in the world. “Who’s going to say no to the Queen of the Hearth? Not Red, that’s for sure.”

“But...” Dick flounders, staring at Jason’s retreating back before shaking himself and running after him. “I’m a knight.”

“Welcome to the new world order, _Sir Richard_.” Jason smirks at him. “It’s all change from here on out.”

***

The change over to the new world order isn’t all that obvious, Dick thinks. Life in Forgeham continues as it has for the time he’s been here. The smiths produce as much armour and weapons as they can, the merchants sell their wares. Children get educated and the dragons are still everywhere, and a part of daily life.

The only real difference is that Dick’s spending more time at the Hearth being ‘courted’ by Nightwing, and with Jason in the evenings while Gorbash takes his flying lessons. Jason spends his time doing things around the house, whether it’s repairs, cleaning, or other housework. And if he’s not doing that, he’s curled up in a comfortable chair reading a book. Watching Jason read is a strangely nostalgic thing for Dick, sending his right back to when Jason was his squire and would happily spend hours doing homework.

Dick tries reading, but he’s not the type that can sit still, so he often finds himself exercising in the large expanse of the cottage, keeping himself limber while Jason’s busy doing other things. They wind up sparring every other day; and Dick is left impressed by just how much Jason has grown, not only in body, but skill. Dick has that little bit more experience with hand to hand combat, and so wins around fifty-five per cent of the time. Often it’s only a narrow victory for Dick, and he’s proud every time that Jason wins outright. 

A month passes before Dick really realises it. A sort of peace and calm has come over him since he’s been here, and while Dick misses his family and Gotham, he also feels at home in Forgeham more than he ever thought he could. He spends the day talking to Nightwing, and as he often does, leaves her with the feeling that being her Rider wouldn’t be so bad. He exits her valley, and sees Red, with Gorbash sitting on Red’s head, waiting for him.

“Sir Dick!” Gorbash waves a hello, taking flight to hover over Dick as he draws closer. “How was your day?”

“It was fine, thanks.” Dick eyes the little dragon who’s smiling as wide as a dragon can. Which is disturbingly wide in Dick’s opinion. Not that he’d be so rude as to say that, though. “How was yours?”

“Oh, it was desperately busy! I did so much flying. And then I helped Red.” Gorbash grins, rolling in the air. “I was a big help, wasn’t I, Red?”

“He was. A little dragon for a little thing.” Red rumbles, looking as amused as ever does.

“Little thing?” Dick tilts his head. He’s heard Red asking Jason for help with ‘little things’ by which he usually means something human sized. Something Red can’t manage due to his massive claws.

“This, Sir Dick!” Gorbash thrusts a flower crown out at him, letting Dick get a good look at the intertwined red and blue flowers, and then dropping it unevenly on Dick’s head. “It looks very fetching on you!” 

“Oh. Thanks, Gorbash.” Dick rights the flower crown on his head, careful not to crush the flowers. “Do I meet with your approval, Red?”

“Wouldna got lil’ Bash here to make you a crown if you didn’t.” Red huffs, grinning slowly at Dick.

“Uh, what the fuck?” A voice from the other side of Red says. Dick turns to see Jason standing there, staring at Dick.

“Something wrong, Jay?” Dick frowns at Jason, trying to work out why the look on his face is striking Dick as offended.

“A flower crown.” Jason says dully, almost glaring at Gorbash’s hard work. He turns and stares up at the massive dragon. “Really Red?”

“Gorbash made it for me. Be nice!” Dick says, walking over to Jason to swipe at his shoulder.

“You pulled Bash in on this?” Jason complains, shaking his head in irritation.

“Little claws for little flowers.” Red says, and although the big dragon doesn’t move, Dick gets the sense that he’s just shrugged, completely unconcerned.

“Ugh. Seriously?” Jason sighs, glaring at Red. He turns to look at Dick with a slight flush on his face. “And of course you accepted it.” 

“Uh... That whole flower crown as romance thing goes both ways doesn’t it?” Dick says as the penny drops, and he works out why Jason’s so agitated. “Riders and dragons?” 

“Yeah. Sorry.” Jason looks abashed, and lifts a hand to reach up to the flower crown before he stops himself.

“No! I don’t mind actually.” Dick says, thinking that he can soothe Jason’s ruffled feathers, but as soon as the words are out of his mouth, he knows he can’t hide how true they are.

“You... Don’t?” Jason stares at him, his big imposing frame going loose at Dick’s words.

“No.” Dick smiles, shrugging. “Red gave me his approval already, so I feel a lot better about asking you to be with me.”

“Oh.” Jason says, blinking fast and looking a little lost. Dick guesses that Jason hadn’t seen this coming at all. Dick feels a little validated that he’s successfully hidden his growing feeling from Jason, but on the other hand, annoyed at himself for blindsiding Jason so thoroughly.

“So what now?” Dick says, hoping that giving Jason a measure of control over the situation he’ll act a little more enthusiastically to the idea of them being together.

“Kiss! You’re supposed to kiss!” Gorbash cries out, hiding his giggling behind his clawed hands, looking like the child he is.

“Why are you two still here?” Jason asks the dragons, honestly exasperated.

“We want to make sure our hard work was worth it.” Red says utterly unashamed. In fact, Dick’s positive that that older dragon is enjoying this.

“I’m not kissing him while you two stare at us.” Jason glares at them, and then makes hand gestures at them. “Shoo! Away with you! Be off, I say!”

“So you do want to kiss me.” Dick steps closer to Jason, going up on his toes to throw an arm across Jason’s shoulders.

“Since I was about twelve, thanks for noticing.” Jason says dryly, eyeing Dick and a dangling red flower from the crown. He gently tucks it in, securing it a little better and Dick’s heart swells with affection.

“Oh.” Dick nods, and then remembers younger Jason’s reactions to Dick spending so much time with Lady Barbara. “Oh! Oh wow, a lot of things make so much more sense now.”

“Right. We’re going home. And Bash, if you even think of coming home tonight...” Jason trails off, clearly trying to think of a good reason for Gorbash to stay away.

“Adults require privacy!” Gorbash pipes up before Jason can finish his threat. “For kissing!”

“...And we’re leaving now.” Jason mutters, turning on his heel and reaching out to grab Dick’s hand.

“Night!” Dick waves with his free hand as Jason drags him away with a firm hand around his wrist.

Jason’s quiet as he and Dick fall into step on their way home. The grip on Dick’s wrist turns into hand holding. and Dick can’t keep the smile off his face. It’s such a little thing, and yet it feels like a bigger romantic gesture than if Jason had taken his favour at a jousting match.

Inside the cottage, Jason turns to face Dick, still holding his hand. He looks a little lost for words, and it’s a cute look on someone that’s by turns taciturn or able to wax poetic about whatever book he’s reading. That’s what pushes Dick to going up on his toes, brushing his lips over Jason’s before he speaks. When he pulls back, Jason’s eyes are focused on him, as if he can see right through to Dick’s very soul.

“You’re thinking too much, Jason.” Dick says quietly, getting lost in the blue-green of those eyes.

“I. I’ve wanted this for so long. It’s...” Jason leans his forehead against Dick’s, closing his eyes. “It’s hard to believe this is real, that’s all. It’s too magical.”

“It’s real.” Dick cups Jason’s face in his hands. “Take me to bed, and let me prove it.”

“Alright, see, that’s exactly what you say in my dreams, so you get my problem, right?” Jason says with a soft private smile on his face that Dick’s never seen before. Dick hopes that it’s just for him.

“Don’t worry, you won’t wake up alone.” Dick tells him, even as he slowly walks back to the bedroom, pulling Jason after him.

“I’d better not, Dickie. Or I’d have to sic the dragons on you.” Jason grins, quick like lightning before stepping forward and wrapping his arms around Dick’s waist.

“Then take me to bed and show me some magic.” Dick pushes up on his toes, grazing his lips over Jason’s and letting out a pleased sigh when Jason deepens the kiss. It’s blissful and so tender. 

“Magic, huh? For the length of a dream...” Jason whispers, and Dick thinks he recognises the quote, but not from where.

“What?” Dick looks into Jason’s eyes, and feels the backs on his legs come up against the edge of the bed. 

“Nothing.” Jason kisses him again, slow and soft. They lay down on the bed, and Jason moves over on top of him. “Time for a little magic, sweetheart.”

***

Dick settles into his saddle, shifting his weapons around so they don’t catch on Nightwing’s spines. It’s taken the better part of a month for Dick to get to a point where Nightwing is satisfied with his riding. Learning how to slide into the groove behind a dragon’s neck, and hold his body on to the dragon’s with only his legs, had taken longer than he’d like to admit. He’s used to the rhythm of a horse, the legs hitting the ground in a repetitive motion directly underneath him. With a dragon the motion is all behind you from the wings, or in front from the neck and head, and no matter hard you squeeze with your legs, or tug on the ridge in front of you, you have no control whatsoever.

_“You need to know how to ride a dragon without a saddle. You need to train your body to react to the flying, and once you can do that, riding with a saddle is easier. Which means you can focus on fighting.” Jason says, refusing to help Dick tie the saddle on._

_“I already know how to ride in a saddle.” Dick gives Jason a bland look of warning._

_“No, you know how to ride in a horse’s saddle.” Jason pokes him in the chest, through his heavy leather jacket. “This is different, trust me.”_

_“Jason.” Dick tries again, but Jason interrupts him._

_“Look, I’m just saying, Dragons can fly upside upside down for longer than you think they can. You’ve experienced that. It’s very different from when a horse goes over, because they don’t keep going.” Jason shrugs._

Jason was right of course, it is different. Relinquishing the control of steering to another, and learning to trust that Nightwing wouldn’t buck him off was a steep curve. But now they move as one, Nightwing choosing the route and speed, with Dick using pre-made grenades and dragon-fangs with ease, along with his twin swords and throwing knives. 

Jason of course, is still proficient with more weapons than anyone else Dick knows. He uses throwing knives and a sword, along with his twin axes, but he uses the grenades with pin point precision, and he’s far deadlier with twin crossbows than Dick’s seen from anyone outside the Royal Archers.

They’re mounting up to fight off a small incursion of demons to the north of Old Abandoned Blüdhaven, to the north of Gotham, and it’s Dick’s first time in real combat on a dragon. His nervousness must show through his body, as tense as it is, because Red sidles up alongside Nightwing, leaving Jason as close to him as is possible while they’re both on dragonback.

“Doing alright there, Dickie?” Jason calls out, his red helmet shining in the early morning light.

“As well as can be expected.” Dick calls back, adjusting his own blue helmet. That’s another thing Dick’s getting used to, he never used to fight with a helmet as a knight, despite how many people bagged him to for his own safety. He’d preferred not having his vision blocked than warding off blows.

“Good.” Jason nods, leaning back in his saddle. “You’ll be fine.”

“I know I will. And on the off chance that either Nightwing or I aren’t, you and Red have got our backs.” Dick grins under his helmet, imagining the red tinge that Jason’s ears are probably taking on.

“Exactly.” Jason takes a bundle out from a saddle bag and throws it to Dick. “Uh, look, Gorbash wanted me to give you this. For luck.”

“Is this what I think it is?” Dick says unwrapping the cloth.

“A dragonclaw dagger?” Jason nods again. “Yeah. It’s from Bash’s hoard. I guess he saw you looking at it.”

“He gave me a part of his hoard?” Dick stares down at the deceptively simple dagger of unbreakable dragonclaw. The small knife is worth a small fortune. 

“Yup. You know what that means right?” Jason tilts his head at Dick.

“He considers me family, and that I’d better come back to thank him?” Dick feels honoured to receive it. He’s been so welcomed and cherished in the time he’s been here, despite being a former enemy.

“...Yeah.” Jason laughs; the sound distorting under his helmet. “That’s exactly what it means.”

“We’re heading out now.” Red says, voice rumbling through the Hearth, and all the dragons inhale to take flight. “For Hearth and Wind!”

“For Hearth and Wind!” Jason yells as they rise from the ground. “Dick, you’re gonna be fine, you’re a great Rider.” 

“For Hearth and Wind!” Dick yells back. “And you bet I am. When we get home I’ll show you how good a rider I am.”

“You’ll be too sore from being on dragonback, sweetheart.” Jason sounds scandalised, but intrigued.

“I’ll never be too sore for you.” Dick teases, and Nightwing shakes her head in disdain at their flirting.

“What, being a Rider gives you magic?” Jason snorts, and Red overtakes them, soaring up above the Hearth.

“No, that’s you, my love.” Dick laughs freely as Nightwing takes them up to the skies.


End file.
